One of the unfortunate realities of teaching fabric collage is that I don’t often get to see my students’ finished work. Only rarely do students complete projects in class. They get a solid start then I send them off (usually) confident they have the skills to complete the piece. But I seldom get to see the final work.
Which is why it’s such a treat to receive photographic presents in my email inbox when students do send me images of their completed quilts. I enjoy every one and have been gathering them for a while now. Recently, I started asking for permission to post these creations in this first batch of completed student work. As time passes, I’ll delve deeper into my mailbox and find more quilts to share.
These photos arrive from all directions of the globe, from classes in all sorts of locations, and held in different years, so the organization is somewhat haphazard, I’m afraid. The following quilts are just the most recent photos from my email box, and therefore the most easily accessible. Most are from classes given this year. I’ve identified which class they took and provided a link to that blog post, if it exists. I’ve also included any in-progress photos I may have from the original class.
January 2016: Quilting in the Desert, Phoenix, AZ
Kate Groves arrived to class with a photo of a favorite Gustave Klimpt painting. I absolutely love Klimpt too and have forever been inspired by his color and pattern-rich artwork, which made it all the more fun to help Kate with her rendition.
I remember how Kate quietly worked away on this small homage that seems to express her own inner world as much as Klimpt’s.
February 2016: St. Augustine Piecemakers, St. Augustine, FL
I’ve received many lovely notes, like this one from Cindy Pilkington: “I finally finished my moth from your two day workshop I attended earlier this year at the St. Augustine Piecemakers. I’m so pleased with it and really enjoyed the experience of using fabric in a different way, a more artistic way! Thanks for opening my eyes and my mind to this form of fabric art! I have named it “Peace of Mine” I look forward to trying something a little more challenging now.”
Cindy did such a nice job using the designs in her fabrics to their full potential with flowing curves and leaves. The black and aqua accents on the edges of some shapes are especially effective.
April 2016: Quilting Adventures, Schulenburg, TX
Beth Johnson moved right along on this portrait of her grandson. The original photo pictured him on his drums, but that would have made his face quite small in the overall design. She decided to focus on just the face. I think she captured his creative spirit with her very artistic approach with color and pattern.
Beth wrote: “I decided to send it to my grandson for his 12th birthday. He declared it was “awesome”! He is still talking about it. I knew he would have no trouble with the bright colors! Now I guess I need to do one for my granddaughter!”
April 2016: Australasian Quilt Convention, Melbourne, Australia
Lesley Rumble wrote: “I see by your blog that you are in the middle of another class. I hope they all enjoy it as much as we did here in Australia. I thought you might like to see my completed Iguana. I changed the eye. I have to say that this is the first project started at AQC, that I have completed, and as I am a finisher that says a lot.”
Thank you to Lesley! Australia was in the midst of an ambitious stretch of teaching this spring, but wasn’t it fun! And look at this guy—what great use of the pattern and texture found in fabrics. He’s such a mellow fellow. Take a good look at the quilting: the shells and sea life help tell the story of this marine iguana. Nice shadows on the ground too.
In that same April class in Australia, Anna Julia chose to make an elephant with all Kaffe Fassett fabrics. The large scale of the patterned fabrics worked perfectly with the rounded contours of her subject. This is certainly a multi-colored creature, and Anna has used the warm tones of yellows and pinks for the sunny highlights, with the cool colors of blues and purples for the shady underside.
When I last saw this piece, Anna had just started on the green background. We talked about keeping larger, more detailed designs to the front, directly under the feet—progressing up with smaller shapes to give a sense of distance. It certainly worked! And I really like the patch of lime green in the background to balance the strong yellows of the forehead and tusks.
May 2016: Mother’s Day Quilt Retreat, Harpswell, ME
This butterfly truly illustrates the Impressionistic capabilities of this fabric collage process. Dabs upon dabs of fabric “strokes” make up this colorful fellow by Susan Desmarais. In the progress shot above, the upper and lower wings meld together. Susan gave a sense of separation by filling in the gaps with either yellow or blue fabrics, and now the finished piece has found its home.
June 2016: Quilters Unlimited, Northern VA
Linda Cooper is one of those students that looked so familiar but I just couldn’t place her. As it turned out, that was because she had made the fish pictured above in a class at G Street Fabrics in Rockville, MD in 2004! Check out the fishy creatures in the background quilting.
She later took a class with me at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria, VA, starting a floral piece that is still in progress.
And now it was back to Northern VA for a 2-day fish class. With her other guild duties, Linda only got so far in class, but look look at that eye. It’s got some intensity already.
In the end, the fish developed a great personality and Linda finished it up with more very nice quilting.
July 2016: The Quilt Gallery, Kalispell, MT
Samantha Leonard works at the Quilt Gallery in Kalispell, so I got to see her again this year during my annual trek to Montana, as well as having her as a student in last year’s class. She’s such a pleasant person and is quite taken by this fabric collage process. She has yet another piece to finish up and show me.
A parting gift from Sam was this collaged reminder of what I try to impart to my students (and a slogan in my Serendipity Quilts book): “Cut Loose and Let Go!”
Quilt Gallery owner Joan Hodgeboom, began this portrait of her dog Sally in the 2014 class. The quilt is now on display at the shop, along with its show ribbons. I so enjoy seeing the real Sally every year—Sally is the real-life sister of our dog, Kali!
Joan created “Musk Ox” in last year’s class. I really like her treatment of all the wind-swept masses of fur. He looks perfectly warm enough under those Northern Lights—an addition I particularly like.
November 2014: Maine Quilting Retreat, Harpswell, ME.
In the very first class Kaye Burns had with me, she dove into this mythological beast. I say beast because the wings alone are huge and daunting. She got about this far in the four day class.
From Kaye: “Hi, here’s a photo of the quilt I did at your retreat in Maine last Nov 1”“4. I entered it in our local county fair and won best of show. Many thanks for a terrific retreat and for sharing your technique!” Her husband also made “some hooks out of very small horseshoes and a dowel with some sort of decorative ends to hang it with…” Prolific and thorough, too.
October 2015: Leaf Peepers Quilt Retreat, Harpswell, ME
To finish up this premier posting of finished student work, I’d like to introduce Quin Brannaka. I had the pleasure of having her and her mom, Tracey Noviello, at my Maine October quilt retreats two years in a row. I’ve known Tracey for maybe twenty years from when we lived in New Hampshire. Quin and my son Sam were early playground playmates at about 1-1/2 years old each. She is now a lovely and talented young woman.
Technically, this isn’t yet a “finished” quilt. The black background is still being considered and it still needs to be quilted. I decided to include it though, because it finishes a major stage of Quin’s life; evolving from high school into the next part of her journey. She will soon be setting off on a gap-year adventure, backpacking through Europe with a friend. Bon voyage, Quin!
Thanks to all who have sent in pictures. There are many more to post in future blogs. Remember to send in your images if you’d like to share them with others.
Click here to see The Finish Line: Completed Student Work Volume II
inspirational technique, Thank you of sharing your gift Susan.
Thank you Margaret, it’s satisfying for me to see what my students end up creating.
Susan, you certainly inspire people to create incredible works of art! Bravo! Thank you for sharing this so generously with the rest of us!
You’re very welcome May Lynne – and I thank my students for sharing as well.
So great to see how your students have learnt from you. Lovely works.
I agree, Karen!
WOW! WOW !!! WOW !!!!! I wanna be in your workshops to !!!!!
Maybe someday…?
Wish you could come to southern Illinois!
Who knows? I do travel around!
Fabulous Work! I enjoy your e mails so much, wish I could take a class too!
Thanks Mary, it’s my pleasure to share things like this.
Great photos, Susan. I’m anxiously awaiting next years class!
Thanks Janet – are you already signed up for a class next year?
What a wonderful post! I love seeing how these students took your technique and ran with it! Imaginative background treatments, both simple and complex; use of variegated tulle for a stunning effect; Quin’s amazing self-portrait – It’s all so inspiring!
Glad you and others are enjoying the post – I know I love to see what others do with the technique myself!
Thanks for this album of students’ work! So very inspiring! 🙂
Thanks Arlene – I think they’re inspiring too!
many thanks for including me! It’s an honor!
You are very welcome Kaye – and thanks for sharing your work and thoughts with others too. You’re doing fabulous work and I look forward to seeing you again soon!!
I look forward to reading your blog each week. Thanks so much for sharing your students work. They have done some amazing work! Absolutely gorgeous art quilts! We will be waiting to see more.
Thank you Pam, it’s readers like you that keep me motivated to get these posts out on time. And yes, my student’s work is amazing – you’ll enjoy each batch just as much!
You consistently write the best blog I have read….ever! Thank you so much for the time and effort you spend in bringing this incredible inspiration to us. I can’t wait to take a class from you.
Why thank you! One of my ulterior motives for the blog is to better prepare my students for taking a class from me – hope you’ll be in one someday.
So enjoyed this post. It is great to see quilts in progress. Thanks for sharing this.
Susan,
I couldn’t believe it when I got your blog post today. You where reading my mind. I have not attended any of your workshops but you have rocked my world over the Internet With your instructions and examples. I was thinking it was a shame that you don’t get to see the finished pieces and in my case you don’t even get to know that I am out here and what an influence you have been to my art. I have been a quilter for 20 years and sell my art quilts at 2 local galleries here in Arizona. Your Process is some thing I started doing about 6 months ago and I love love love it. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy my mini show to you Hope to meet you in person some day.
Hoop Dancer “infinite Sun”
Mosaic Horse
Special bond
Rita Chester RitaChester.com 480-292-0392
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Wow, the green butterfly is to die for!
I would give all of them “Best in Show.” Very impressive work.
Hi Susan I have finished my giraffe I started at AQC Melbourne and entered it into the Canberra quilt show. I am rather pleased with hiw he has turned out. Regards Karen Travis
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
These are all awesome, inspiring and a bit intimidating. Beautiful eye-candy. Thanks so much for sharing them with us and thank you to the students who sent them in. I hope, someday to be able to take one of your classes.
Thanks so much for sharing! I love seeing the creativity people come up with in using your process.
Love these! Thanks for sharing! Please let me know when you are coming back to Phoenix!
Coming to Tucson in January. Madeline Island School of the Arts is hosting me at Tanque Verde Ranch.
Love these! Thanks for sharing! Please let me know when you are coming back to Phoenix!
Coming to Tucson in January. Madeline Island School of the Arts is hosting me at Tanque Verde Ranch.
loving your throw back Thursday blog post, its amazing how BEAUTIFUL everyones fabric collages quilts are created and seeing the finish quilts is a real treat…..INSPIRATION, to keep learning, I recently have purchased both your books and looking into taking the Master online class soon…..love your style of teaching, let loose is starting to be part of my artistic designs, in my doodle fabric quilts, maybe someday, I will be brave enough to send you a completed photo of one of my quilts based on your teaching techniques….THANKS
What a great group of finished quilts. Quin and Kaye really stepped it up!
I’m reading this on the Throwback Thursday post of Aug. 2, 2018, but wanted to say I was particularly impressed with Beth Johnson’s loving depiction of her grandson in Schulenberg, TX, April 2016 (and I even know where that is!). And my love for elephants brought delight in seeing Anna Julia’s piece from April 2016 in Australia. Her quilting on some of the motifs was different and just perfect! AND Joan Hedgeboom’s Sally’s treatment of the background–another unusual background! And you may remember that I’m in the “backgrounds are more challenging than main subject” camp. So thanks for all these educational/inspirational examples.
I am still in awe at your (and Tom’s) ability to keep up, organize, catalog these photos to come out as teaching moments for us! Thanks again!
Hello Susan,
A whole new world of fabric art has been opened to me!!!
I first saw your work at the Special Exhibits feature at the Maine Quilt Show in Augusta July 26-28,2018. I was totally inspired and fell in love with the use of color, texture and imagination in every piece. My friend , Lori said; “seldom are you in the presence of GENIUS , but I feel like I am right now”!
My name for you is “THE DAHLOV IPCAR OF QUILTING”-the pure whimsy and delight feels like her art!! A “born artist” you are!
So glad to have had this treat and I look forward to your blogs,which are testimony to your influence on other fabric artists-Congratulations and Thanks!